Yuji Horii’s ‘Don’t Ask Me’ Fuels New Chrono Trigger Remake Speculation

Few role-playing games inspire the same mix of nostalgia and longing as Chrono Trigger. For almost three decades, fans have been dreaming about a modern remake of Square Enix’s time-travel epic, and every small hint from the people who created it sends the community into overdrive.

The latest spark came from Dragon Quest creator and Chrono Trigger writer Yuji Horii, whose carefully chosen words have once again fanned the flames of speculation.

Appearing on a discussion program published on YouTube on November 30, Horii was asked a question that fans have been quietly asking for years but rarely hear voiced so directly: do the projects planned for the game’s 30th anniversary suggest that a remake is finally happening? Instead of shutting the idea down, Horii smiled and replied that he could not say anything on the subject and that people should not ask him about it.

On paper, that is not a confirmation of anything. Yet for long-time followers of Japanese game development, it is a very particular kind of non-answer. If nothing were happening behind the scenes, it would have been easy for Horii to say so. Choosing instead to dodge the topic, while acknowledging that there is something he cannot talk about, naturally leads fans to wonder whether a new version of Chrono Trigger is quietly in the works.

It helps that Horii is not some distant observer weighing in from the sidelines. Alongside Akira Toriyama and Nobuo Uematsu, he was one of the creative pillars behind the original 1995 Super Nintendo release, contributing to the game’s story and worldbuilding. His name carries enormous weight, and any hint that he is being cautious about what he reveals instantly becomes news across social media and fan forums.

This is not the first time in 2024 that Horii has accidentally set the rumor mill spinning. Back in May, during an appearance at Napoli Comicon, a translation slip-up made it sound as though he had outright confirmed a Chrono Trigger remake. That statement was later walked back, with clarification that a remake was merely being considered and that, if it happened, it might take the form of an HD-2D project rather than a lavish full 3D reimagining.

The idea of Chrono Trigger rebuilt in HD-2D immediately calls to mind recent Square Enix projects like Octopath Traveler, Triangle Strategy, and the new version of Dragon Quest III. Those games combine detailed pixel art with modern lighting, depth of field, and particle effects, preserving a retro feel while making everything pop on high-resolution screens. For many fans, this approach feels like a natural evolution for 16-bit classics that respects their roots instead of replacing them outright.

Chrono Trigger already has a long and somewhat complicated history of re-releases. After its original debut on the Super Nintendo in 1995, it received an enhanced Nintendo DS port that added new dungeons, animated cutscenes, a fearsome new final boss, and an ending explicitly tying the story more closely to its follow-up, Chrono Cross. Later versions for PC and mobile devices further expanded its availability, ensuring that new generations could at least experience the classic, even if no definitive modern remaster exists yet.

Meanwhile, Chrono Cross itself returned in 2022 as The Radical Dreamers Edition, bringing the PlayStation sequel and its text-adventure side story to contemporary platforms. That release reminded the industry that there is still strong interest in the wider Chrono universe, fueling arguments that the original game deserves a similarly careful and respectful revival rather than being left as a series of aging ports.

From a business perspective, the timing would also make sense. Square Enix has embraced remakes and re-imaginations of its back catalog, from the ambitious Final Fantasy VII Remake project to numerous HD collections and pixel remasters. A Chrono Trigger remake released around its 30th anniversary would fit neatly into that strategy while generating enormous goodwill among core JRPG fans who have been asking for exactly this for years.

Of course, until an official announcement appears, all of this remains speculation. Yuji Horii has not confirmed that anything is in active development, and his do not ask me about that comment could simply mean that ideas are being discussed rather than green-lit. Still, the fact that he chose not to deny the possibility speaks volumes to a community eager for hope. For now, Chrono Trigger remains the timeless masterpiece it has always been, but Horii’s coy smile suggests that the dream of seeing it reborn is very much alive.